Did You Know…?
In 1602 eight early British expats were dropped off in what is now known as Banten Lama by the first...
Travel
Riding Jalur NuRa
As the crow flies Puncak is a mere 80 kilometres to the south east of Jakarta. In the hills of...
The Origins of the Piggy Bank
In the west the Piggy Bank has long been a time-honoured rite of passage, a whimsical but didactic tool for...
It’s a Swamp Out There!
There isn’t a lot of green space left in Jakarta. Perhaps more than people realise, but still very little. What...
Breaks for Bread Winners
School holidays are both a curse and a boon for expat parents living in Jakarta. Firstly, not all of us...
Indonesia’s First Celebrity Artist
Raden Saleh Boestaman (c. 1807-1880) This well-known photo of Raden Saleh, Indonesia’s ‘first’ western-style painter was taken in 1870 when...
Young Diver’s Dreams Find a Home in West Java
Kyle Blakeway’s love of the ocean runs deep: it started when he earned his junior open water dive certification —he...
Staying in Town for the Holidays?
Let’s face it, Julia Roberts’ “Eat Pray Love” was just way too glib to get the old heart racing. An...
Pulau Tidung @ Pulau Seribu
I used to think the ultimate culture shock trip from Jakarta was the flight over to saccharine sweet Singapore but...
Gereja Sion
Back in the middle of the 17th century, Jl. Pangeran Jayakarta was one of Batavia’s hottest addresses. It was a...
Climbing the Less Well-Known Peaks of Indonesia
As editor of the not-for-profit hiking website Gunung Bagging, I have spent the last few years exploring countless mountain peaks...
Finding and Booking Flights on Your Phone
School holidays are nearly upon us and I am sure you are busy planning for a trip somewhere. I...
Batavia – A Chinese Town Under Dutch Rule
No-one knows when the Chinese first hit what was to become Jakarta. Certainly, when the Dutch first arrived, in 1596,...